Yasuke : the true Story of Legendary african samurai / Thomas Lockley and Geoffrey Girard.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Prelude: Yasuke de gozaru -- Warrior. A welcome to Japan ; Only the grace of God ; The ghosts of Africa ; Seminary life ; The terms of employment ; The Witch of Bungo ; Pirates and choir boys ; A riot on Monday ; Tenka Fuba ; Feats of strength -- Samurai. Guest of honor ; Treasures old and new ; The way of warriors ; His Lord's whim ; Oda at war ; The dead are rising ; Collecting heads ; Fuji-san ; Battle cry ; The Honn�o-ji incident -- Legend. Japan, tomorrow ; The guns of Okitanawate ; Possible paths ; Yasuke through the ages -- Afterword.

Kidnapped as a child, Yasuke had ended up a servant and bodyguard to the head of the Jesuits in Asia, with whom he traversed India and China learning multiple languages as he went. His arrival in Kyoto, however, literally caused a riot. Most Japanese people had never seen an African man before, and many of them saw him as the embodiment of the black-skinned Buddha. Among those who were drawn to his presence was Lord Nobunaga, head of the most powerful clan in Japan, who made Yasuke a samurai in his court. In the four hundred years since, Yasuke has been known in Japan largely as a legendary, perhaps mythical figure. In telling his story, Lockley and Girard offer a new perspective on race in world history and a vivid portrait of life in medieval Japan. -- adapted from jacket